Currently available sanitary napkins now teach a composite of materials generally comprising an absorbent core with a soft, liquid pervious surface facing the body and a fluid impervious surface facing the garment. The pervious and impervious surfaces may be commonly extended and heat sealed together to form short, sealed tabs to encapsulate the absorbent core. Adhesives are customarily applied to the garment facing side of the product for securing the napkin to clothing during use.
Adhesive systems for securing sanitary napkins to the garment must tenaciously adhere to the garment at all times. They must resist moisture, sudden torques generated by movements of the body and frictional shearing forces exerted by the movements of the various layers of clothing worn by the user.
External sanitary protection is known to greatly depend upon the proximity of the napkin to the perineal area. A close fit allows the napkin to collect fluid near the source of the exit from the body and minimizes fluid traveling along the body. However, despite the importance of fit to sanitary protection, prior art napkins adhesively secured to the crotch of the garment rely on the relatively loose fit of the user's undergarments. Panties worn while menstruating are often older, well-worn garments which fit poorly. New panties, unless specially designed to do so, rarely hold and maintain the napkin close enough to be effective. Even specially designed undergarments are deemed by many women to be binding and uncomfortable.
One prior art solution to the fitting problem has been to use sanitary belts to independently support the napkin. Napkins with long tab ends worn with sanitary belts achieve the necessary closeness to the body but are often uncomfortable, inconvenient to use, and cause an indiscreet appearance which women find objectionable. Moreover, belts suspend a napkin in such a way that it is allowed to shift and twist, greatly reducing its effectiveness.
Another solution, contemplated by the prior art, is to attach the product ends to the skin. Several patents have been directed to devices for collecting body fluids that employ adhesive attachments to the skin. Zamist, U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,952, is directed to an anatomically-contoured sanitary napkin having adhesive patches which attach to the skin of the wearer. These patches have non-disposable, die-cut grippers to receive the ends of the napkin. Levine, U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,151 describes a catamenial napkin having a long, full-sized napkin with non-irritating adhesive strips on its longitudinal ends for attaching to the body. Sohn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,919, teaches a rectal area dressing for anal incontinence. This rectoperineal device has pressure-sensitive adhesive on an elongated absorbent pad and on extending end members which adhere to the skin surfaces. While these inventions generally provide a close fit to the wearer's body, they do not permit stretching in the longitudinal direction to adjust to the wearer's individual sizing needs. Such devices, moreover, are not flexible enough to allow the pad to move with the body and return to its original position during stooping, bending and twisting. This can lead to uncomfortable binding and twisting of the napkin. Furthermore, the attachment sites of these products, being susceptible to sudden torques and shearing forces, are not always reliable in securing product placement.
Accordingly, there is still need for a napkin that provides a comfortable fit even during body movements while at the same time enabling adjustments for the wearer's size. There is also a need for a napkin that provides close placement against the wearer's body at all times, collecting fluid close to the source without wetting undergarments.